No Images? Click here WE UNCOVER THE BEST OF NSW THIS MONTHJULY 2019 EDITIONTwo of Australia’s hottest young chefs are behind Sydney restaurant Chuuka (pronounced ch-oo-ka). Chase Kojima (Sokyo and Gojima) and Victor Liong (Melbourne’s Lee Ho Fook) will bring their Japanese and Chinese heritage respectively to create a fusion of the two cuisines. Opening 3 July at Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, it will offer a dedicated raw menu, roe service and a selection of share plates. A highlight is the ise-ebi chilli, with stir-fried spiny lobster, chilli miso butter and Japanese milk buns. There’ll be a focus on dessert, with a frozen yoghurt menu and dishes such as dark chocolate mousse with matcha ice cream. An outdoor bar with stunning views of Sydney Harbour will serve cocktails with Asian botanicals and a glamorous private dining room completes the picture. Visit chuuka.com.au
Winter is the ideal season to go on a bushwalk. Freeland Hiking offers all-inclusive hiking tours in the Blue Mountains and the South Coast. Start with a two-day tour to Ruined Castle, where you’ll climb two mountains and camp overnight, and work up to the five-day Budawangs Circuit, located four hours’ south of Sydney, for a hike through isolated wilderness and a night in a sandstone cave. Everything is provided – tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, food and transport from Sydney. Food is hearty and healthy – think porridge with toppings and a three-course feast for dinner. The experienced guides will teach you facts about the bush and tell stories about the customs and practices of Aboriginal groups who are the traditional custodians of the land. Visit freelandhikingco.com.au Eight new architecturally designed cabins have opened at Clarkes Beach Holiday Park, in the Northern Rivers region. Made from sustainably sourced Blackbutt timber, minimal impact to the environment was a priority in the building process, with erosion protection and rainwater tanks installed. Four of the cabins sleep up to five people, and four sleep two. High quality linen bedding, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a fully equipped kitchen and air conditioning make for a comfortable stay. Step out of the park and straight onto the sand of Clarkes Beach. Visit The Fragrant Gardens are as lovely as they sound and have long been a popular destination on the Central Coast. Now there’s a new reason to visit - Bar Botanica has opened within the gardens, run by the couple who make Mr Goaty Gelato. The café is located in a cream-coloured mud hut with striking arched windows. Guests can sit in the leafy courtyard or grab a picnic blanket and take dishes such as a ploughman’s lunch with local produce or chicken liver parfait with Distillery Botanic blackcurrant liquor into the garden. Coffee, tea, and sodas are available and soon, gin will be too from the neighbouring Distillery Botanica. Visit barbotanica.com.au DO | FAR MEADOW TABLE Far Meadow Table is a new cooking school and catering service in Berry. Having previously run a busy Sydney café together, the owners are keen to share their passion for local produce by growing their own vegetables, fruit and herbs and supporting other South Coast farmers and fishermen in their menu. One half of the couple, Iain Smart, is an experienced chef and will host cooking workshops on topics such as braising, cooking vegetarian dishes and teaching kids to cook. They also host frequent long table lunches and dinners under their Elm tree – the perfect way to sample the best of the region with a group of friends. Visit
DRINK | HUSK DISTILLERY The spirits made at Husk Distillery are truly representative of their terroir – a deep, fertile caldera in the Northern Rivers of NSW. The Messenger family set up the plantation in 2012 and have recently opened a cellar door, bar and Planter’s café for tours and tastings, 45 minutes from Byron Bay. It’s the only paddock-to-bottle rum distillery in Australia and they specialise in agricole rum, made from sugar cane (instead of the usual molasses). On the tour you’ll walk through the production facility and enjoy a rum tasting flight in the barrel house. Enjoy a seasonal cocktail in the cellar door and a cake or grazing board with local produce in the cafe. Visit huskdistillers.com
The Riverina region is famed for its abundance – rice, wine and citrus are some of the products grown in this fertile region. Sample your way around the area on the Taste Riverina Food & Wine Adventure, a four-day heritage rail tour on 11 October from Sydney to Griffith, with snack stops along the way in Junee and Narrandera. Travelling by train is a great way to admire the changing landscape and see canola fields in bloom. In Griffith you’ll tour farms, orange groves, wineries and restaurants – highlights include learning how rice is grown at Randall Organics Rice Farm, enjoying lunch at Piccolo Farm and a dinner with matched wines at McWilliam's wines. Visit cruiseexpress.com.au
Tracey Moffatt: Body Remembers, comprised of the artist’s photographic series Body Remembers (2017) and video work Vigil (2017), is showing for the first time in NSW at Mosman Art Gallery. Both works are from her 57th Venice Biennale exhibition and explore ongoing themes of self and identity. The series refers to the domestic servitude of her relatives and of the forced removal of Aboriginal women and their internment on rural properties. Moffatt is celebrated for her distinct approach and enduring engagement with Australia’s colonial history. The artist says it’s “a play with time, backwards and forwards of the past and present.” Until August 25. Visit mosmanartgallery.org.au FEATURED STORIESHOLIDAYS WITH HEARTSustainable stays, environmental expeditions and ethical activities for the traveller who wants to give back. Australian Animals at Every TurnCuddle a koala or feed a kangaroo at these zoos and wildlife parks around NSW. JULY 2019 EVENT GUIDESPOTLIGHT ON: CHICAGO the MUSICALFrom 20 August, Capital Theatre The razzle dazzle world of Chicago the Musical is coming to Sydney’s Capitol Theatre this August, with show-stopping tunes, iconic Aussie performers and slick choreography. This new Australian production, commencing in Sydney, is produced by John Frost and Suzanne Jones and hits the stage on August 20. Steeped in legend, the long-running musical Chicago first hit the stage in 1975 and tells the tale of Roxie Hart—a chorus girl who murders her lover—who along with jailbird rival, Velma Kelly, fights to stay off death row with the help of slick lawyer, Billy Flynn. The alluring story explores the notion of the ‘celebrity criminal’ and is based on a 1926 play of the same name by criminal reporter, Maurine Dallas Watkins, based on true stories. Set in the melting pot of Chicago’s Jazz Age, the stylish stage show was crafted by musical theatre legends, John Kander, Fred Ebb and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse. The vaudeville vintage score includes huge hits such as ‘All That Jazz’ and ‘Razzle Dazzle’ and the cabaret dance moves are electric with gangsters, showgirls and flappers strutting their stuff. Star of the show Roxie Hart is played by Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Velma Kelly is performed by musical theatre star, Alinta Chidzey, while much loved singer Casey Donovan hits the stage as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton. Honoured with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations, Chicago is a Broadway landmark musical that must be seen at least once in a lifetime! SYDNEY EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 9-31 July | Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival 10 July | Holden State of Origin Game III 11-14 July | Bastille French Festival 15 and 21 July | Gondwana World Choral Festival 19 July | Wild Night Market 19 July | Buildcorp Wallaroos vs. Japan Until 21 July | The National: New Australian Art 2019 25-28 July | Australian Hockey U21 Championships 27 July | Bankstown Bites Food Festival Until 1 September | Muriel’s Wedding The Musical Until Dec 31 | Apollo 11
REGIONAL EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 6-12 July | Mayfield Garden Winter Festival 6-13 July | Bundanoon Winterfest 6-21 July | The Bathurst Winter Festival 12-13 July | Mudgee Small Farm Field Days 13-19 July | Evans Head Fishing Classic 15-19 July| Westfield National Youth Championships for Girls 18-21 July | Elephant Trail Race Port Macquarie 19-21 July | Splendour in the Grass 24-27 July | The Lightning Ridge Opal Festival
|